Whilst the likes of Inter, Milan, Roma and Juventus have all been paired with the Belgian international, the Gazzetta dello Sport indicate that Napoli are close to tying up a deal.

It is reported that Aurelio De Laurentiis has agreed a €9m fee with Cellino to take 50 per cent ownership of Nainggolan and that it is now down to the Partenopei reaching agreement on personal terms with the player.

The 25-year-old is reported as having not returned to Cagliari with his teammates on from Sunday’s match at Chievo, in order to hold initial talks with Napoli officials.

Such talks, however, are not seen by the Corriere dello Sport as necessarily straightforward, for such issues as image rights, which De Laurentiis always prefers to belong solely to the club.

Meanwhile, the Corriere dello Sport also indicate that Borussia Dortmund may be coming back in this January for Gokhan Inler.